Choosing Wisely:

Don’t order complex lymphocyte panels when ordering CD4 counts.

Search Recommendations

Rationale and Comments: Order only CD4 counts and percentages rather than ordering other lymphocyte panels. For example, CD8 testing, including the CD4/CD8 ratio, adds cost without providing useful information. More complex lymphocyte panels are unnecessary and increase costs even more.
Sponsoring Organizations:
  • HIV Medicine Association
    • Sources:
  • IDSA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services guidelines
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    Disciplines:
  • Infectious disease
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    References: • Aberg JA, Gallant JE, Ghanem KG, Emmanuel P, Zingman BS, Horberg MA; Infectious Diseases Society of America. Primary care guidelines for the management of persons infected with HIV: 2013 update by the HIV Medicine Association of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Clin Infect Dis. 2014 Jan;58(1):1-10.
    • Panel on Antiretroviral Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents. Guidelines for the use of antiretroviral agents in HIV-1-infected adults and adolescents. Department of Health and Human Services. Available at http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/AdultandAdolescentGL.pdf. 2015 Apr. 288 p.
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